Rise To The Top
by my99by
Summary: The King Of Pop takes a young musical prodigy under his wing. As his fame grows, this young man will see both the good, and bad fame has to offer. (Originally posted to WattPad in summer 2015. It was well received, and is now being posted on here. Enjoy!)
1. Chapter 1

James "Jay" Carter has shown that he has musical talent ever since he was five years old. Jay was born on October 10th, 1970. He was his parent's third child, and the youngest. Jay was raised by an African American family, and lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, The City Of Brotherly Love.

As previously mentioned, Jay was very talented when it came to music.

He came from a musical family, his mother and father often did backup singing and dancing for bands, and his father was a well known producer.

Jay was surrounded by R&B, Soul, and Jazz music. In addition, he loved to sing, and he loved to dance. It was those two talents, that really made him stand out. He had amazing Rhythm, and his dancing made jaws drop to the floor, and eyes widen. Soon, Jay would be given the opportunity of a lifetime, and his decision would not only change his life, but the history of music and entertainment forever. -Intro

 _Part 1: A boy and a dream_

 _Year: 1979_

Nine year old Jay Carter walked out of the music shop, and began to jog his way home. He had saved up his allowance from chores to buy what he desired. After seeing an advertisement of the album, he was very excited.

It was the newest album from the young artist, Michael Jackson. Michael was a very well known musician, mostly known for performing with his brothers, the Jacksons, but famously, the Jackson 5. Jay had read in a magazine that Michael had gone solo, and had been making albums of his own. "Sorry!" Jay had narrowly avoided bumping into a pedestrian.

He really was in a hurry to get home. At the moment, the album he had just purchased was safe in the backpack he was wearing. Finally, he was in his neighborhood. He ran up the stairs leading to his house, unlocked the front door, and locked it behind him. Before heading to his room, he had to greet his family. "Mom! Dad! I'm home!" His dad was first to see him.

He gave Jay a wave and a smile. "And how was your day?" He asked.

Jay took off his bag. "Same as always. Pretty good. But not too boring."

His mother was in the living room, tuning an old spanish guitar.

"Hey!" She said. "Your dinner's in the kitchen when you're ready."

"I'll eat later, first I-" He didn't have to finish. "I already know. You've been talking about that album for weeks. How about we listen together?"

Jay shrugged. He went up to his bedroom, brought down his cassette tape player, plugged it in, and popped in the tape. The first song, was " _Don't stop til you get enough."_

" _Lovely is the feeling now_

 _Fever, temperatures rising now_

 _Power is the force the vow_

 _That makes it happen, it asks no questions why_

 _So get closer_

 _To my body now_

 _Just love me_

 _Till you don't know how…._

After eating his dinner, and getting ready for school that night, Jay finished listening to the rest of _Off The Wall._ It was amazing! Jay loved the melody and beats that went along with all of the songs. And deep down, Jay had a feeling that he knew what Michael Jackson was thinking in the making of the album. _Off The Wall_ was a disco album. No doubt about that.

At the moment, disco music was the most popular nowadays, and it looks like Michael used that to his advantage. After getting his clothes ready for the next day, Jay went into the bathroom to take a shower. While there, he took a look in the mirror, and sighed.

 **Jay's Physical Appearance:**

 **Black hair kept into a miniature afro**

 **Medium brown skin tone.**

(More to add later, it'll make sense as Jay gets older)

After showering and putting on his PJ's, he sat at his desk, with a pen and paper. The entire house was quiet, as everyone else was asleep. The only sound came from his brother, Joe, who was currently snoring the night away. Jay sat at his desk, writing songs. That was his pastime. Seeing inspiration from the world around him, and using his imagination, he wrote his own songs. And his parents and sibling loved them. The only people he never shared them with were his classmates. Especially not them. Jay was a very, very silent child. He was shy, and did not like showing his face in large groups much. He was an easy target for people to pick on. Now, this harassment from other students did not happen everyday, but it did happen often. But he always tried his best to ignore it. Putting the pen and paper away, Jay jumps into bed, drifts off.

After school the next day, Jay headed to his favourite spot. Basically, there is this club not too far from where he lives, called _J-Swing_.

This was his escape away from reality. Now, this place was a popular hang out spot for teens as well as adults. Bands would come from all over to perform here, and also, this was where Jay practiced his singing and dancing. Due to how young he was, he had managed to impress everyone there, including the staff. But what Jay loved the most about this club, was that it had private recording studios, and the owner of the place told him he was more than welcome to use them. Once he arrived, he went to the recording studio straight away, and got to work. Making sure the door was shut behind him, Jay removed a folder from his backpack, and placed it on a table. Inside written on eight sheets of paper were the unfinished lyrics and notes to songs he was currently working on. It took him two hours to finish them all; but Jay hadn't noticed. Using the club's telephone, he called his brother to come over. Joe loved to play guitar, and was also a pretty good singer. He needed to have a discussion with him.

Once Joe arrived twenty minutes later, Jay knew what he wanted to do.

He told Joe about the songs he had written, and had showed him the notes to the songs he had also written. "James, I am fifteen years old, and I have to say it. I'm _impressed!_ You are nine years old, and you somehow managed to come up with this! (He even waved the sheet around to emphasize.)

Jay still kept going. "I showed some of the of the guys here my song, and we're going to do some recording in a few minutes. Are you in?"

His brother beamed at him. "Definitely." Soon, a group of seven people had came into the recording studio, instruments at the ready. Jay stood at a microphone, and got ready to sing. He gave everyone a signal, and the music started. The music that _he_ made, began to play.

Although Jay didn't know it, this was the beginning of his career. Right here, right now, his music career had just begun. His rise to stardom, has just begun. The songs currently being recorded, would soon become his first album.

May 14th, 1983

Jay sits at his desk, looking out of his bedroom window of his family's new Los Angeles home. Although it had been nearly three years since he released his first album, titled _Awakening_ , he had become possibly the most popular thirteen year old ever! He still remembered the day he released it. His parents listened to the album, and they loved it. His father (after studying the songs very carefully) hooked him up with a record company named _Epic Records_ , and soon the album was released.

It had only been a week after it had been released when he noticed that everywhere he went, his songs were being played everywhere. Malls, skating rinks, anywhere where music was played. Five million. Five million copies of the album had been sold worldwide. At first, he was extremely shocked when he heard this news. To add on to that, reporters had been trying to contact him to get an interview. Joe, who was and still is in a band, let him join in. They had travelled to clubs across philly to do live performances with Joe and his bandmates. His father had managed them while they did this. They were becoming increasingly popular, but Jay more than the others. People loved him. Newspapers and magazines were describing him as a "Highly talented young man." Jay was flattered.

From late '79 to 1980, they went on tour. Joe's band had made of an album of their own, a type of funk style of music, and they would perform a mixture of Jay, and the band's songs. In the aftermath, they had made lots of profit, and had moved to LA. Joe was deeply upset to have to leave his bandmates behind, but they had promised him that they'd keep the band going, and that they'd never forget him.

Now, as Jay looked out of his bedroom window, he admired the lights of the city in the night. It looked amazing. Feeling totally at peace, Jay took out a pen and paper, and began plotting his next album.

 _Michael's POV_

Michael Jackson walks backstage, sweat dripping down his face. He had just finished doing some rehearsals with his brothers. Grabbing a nearby towel at one of the back rooms, he wipes at his face. Tomorrow was the 25th anniversary of Motown Records, and they were planning to have lots of musicians to perform for the event. Aside from rehearsing the classic Jackson 5 songs, he was also doing some private rehearsals. He had a plan worked out. After performing one more time with his brothers, he would talk to audience, someone would toss him a fedora from backstage, and then he show perform his new song, _Billie Jean_. He couldn't Wait!

 _Jay's POV_

May 16th, 1983

"Yo Jay! Hurry up, you're missing Motown 25!" Joe called to him.

Jay ran out of the kitchen with a large bowl of popcorn and two bottles of pepsi. "Got the snacks brother." Joe pumped his fist. "Perfect! Now we're ready. They plopped down on the couch, and watched the performances.

Everyone was amazing! As the night went on, _they_ came on stage.

The Jacksons. The music started and they began performing all of the classic Jackson 5 songs. They were on fire! Before they knew it, the Jacksons had finished their performances, and were hugging each other and leaving the stage. All except…. Michael. Joe looked confused.

"Um…. what's he doing?" Jay noticed that Michael was holding the mic, and was waiting for the audience to settle down. "I think he's about to make a speech." Michael began speaking about performing with his brothers throughout the years. "Those were the good old days, me performing with my brothers. I love those songs we made together. But then again, I also love…." The audience began to get excited, and people started yelling, "Billie Jean!" Michael looks at the camera directly. "The new songs…"

Suddenly a black hat slid on stage from backstage, and just as he put it on, the beat to Billie Jean began to play. The audience went wild, clapping to beat. Michael began to dance, moving his body to the beat. Jay and Joe stared at the T.V in awe. Michael tossed the hat to the side, and grabbed the mic.

" _She was more like a beauty queen from a movie scene_

 _I said don't mind, but what do you mean I am the one_

 _Who will dance on the floor in the round_

 _She said I am the one who will dance on the floor in the round…."_

He was amazing. Every move Michael pulled off was on point. Jay watched in shock at how he danced, the guy was like magic!

Then things got even more unreal. Michael went into a spin, his feet went into a walking styled motion, and he glided backwards….

The audiences loses it and cheer. Jay and Joe do the same!

That night, music history was made.


	2. Chapter 2

_Jay POV_

July 1st, 1984

Fourteen year old Jay sat in his room, listening to the track, _The Girl Is Mine_ , from Michael's newest album, _Thriller._ It was actually pretty difficult to get his hands on a copy of Thriller. Everytime he would head to a music shop, it was the same. "Sorry, we're sold out." The clerks would say. The album was selling like crazy." At the moment, Jay was struggling a bit. He wanted to get his name put out there, but that was the hard part. His career has not "Soared." Jay would have to find a way to make himself known.

It was then that his father walked in. "You've been pretty quiet today, are you alright?" Jay sighed "I'm fine, I'm just a bit stumped. You know I want to be a musician, but I want to be huge! Like Elvis Presley or Michael Jackson!" His father sat down next to him, and Jay watched as his mouth curled into a smile. "I know just the guy to help with your problem."

His father pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, and removed a white card. "Head to this address. You'd be surprised how close by it is."

Jay stared at the apartment building in front of him. He looked back at

the card. _Robert Grylls. "_ Well, this is the place." Jay entered the lobby of the building, and took the elevator to the second floor. He found the room number, and knocked. "In a minute!" A voice with a foreign accent called out. ( _Swedish?)_ The locked clicked and the door opened.

Standing before him was a man who looked to be in his early to mid twenties. He was dressed in sweatpants and a simple white T-shirt.

He had long jet black hair that he kept tied into a ponytail.

"Are you ?" Jay asked. "Yes, but please, call me Robert. Come in, no need to be nervous! I know your father. He called me a while ago to tell me he was sending you over. Jay entered the apartment and was impressed with how it looked. The condo was very lavish, and the furniture looked to be of premium quality. Jay sat down on the living room sofa, and Robert joined him a second later, with two bottles of water. "So! Your Dad says you're in the music business like the rest of the family."

Jay nodded. "Its true. I want to become a famous musician, like James Brown or Michael Jackson. But the trouble is, I'm trying to find a way to put my name out there." Robert nodded. "Well, you are in luck. I'm a director, and I know I can help you. What you need, is to make a music video or short film. Let the world see you sing and dance. Haven't you seen the video for Rock With You and Billie Jean. And of course, you can't forget Thriller! Those worked for Michael Jackson! They helped him reach star status!" Jay's heart began to race. He was right! Robert got up and went over to a closet near his bedroom. When he came back, he was holding a large rolled up poster. When he unrolled it, Jay recognized it. It was the full album cover for Michael's Thriller Album. "I want you to look at this. This can be you! You can do anything you want in life! The sky's the limit! Say it!

The Sky's the limit!" Jay was beaming. "THE SKY'S THE LIMIT!" He shouted. "Holy crap kid! Try to keep your voice down! My neighbors might hear us!" "Sorry!" Jay said quickly. "You know what? Screw 'em. They blast their music twenty four seven, so yell as much as you want! Now, lets get started on writing a script!" Jay took a mental note to thank his father when he got home.

July 15th, 1984

 _Michael's POV_

Michael Jackson sits on the edge of the bed of his hotel room. The Victory Tour had proved to be a pain in the behind. He had just been in a shouting match with his brothers. There was huge tension between them. Michael has been growing in popularity ever since he released Off The Wall and Thriller, and it continued to rise. But was it really his fault? Michael loved music. It was apart of him he couldn't get rid of and never wanted to get rid of. Music was his life. God gave him talent, and he put to good use by doing what he loved. Michael took a deep breath. "I need to relax… let's see what's on T.V." Michael turned on the television, and turned on MTV. He had switched to the channel just in time, a new music video was starting.

"J.C, _Funk Revolution_ …" Michael read the title of the video. He watched as a young man in a large trenchcoat strode through a deserted neighborhood at night. As he walks down the street, several men glare menacingly at him as he passed. Each person he passes by gets up and follows him. Soon there are over a dozen people trailing him. Suddenly, the young man turns around, and Michael gets a better view of him. He looks to be fourteen or fifteen years old.

Those following him freeze, and no one moves. The young man snaps his fingers, and the sound resonates throughout the entire neighborhood.

The followers looks as if they were placed under a spell. Then, the beat of a drum starts and the music kicks in. The large group of followers form a military-like formation, and begin to dance to the beat. The young man (J.C.) threw off the coat and the wind caught it. He was dressed in Black leather pants, Black boots (They looked amazing! The design made them look like they were made of metal!) He wore a bright red top covered with zippers going across the chest. The outfit was complete with with huge, black aviators. Michael couldn't tear his eyes off the screen. J.C's ,moves were amazing. He moved his body to match every single beat and sound of the song. He gasped when he saw J.C do a James Brown styled shuffle halfway through the video. It appeared that J.C also studies the greats. When the video ended, Michael wrote himself a note. He wanted to find out more about this artist.

 _Jay's POV_

August 1st, 1984

Jay makes a run for the limo with dozens fans chasing him. He wasn't surprised that security had gotten overwhelmed by them. There were so many! He had just did a live performance of a few tracks from his newest album _Funk Rising_. The door of the limo opened, and Robert was there.

Jay dived into the vehicle, and slammed the door behind him. The driver floored it, and they sped away from the concert hall. "Jay, I gotta say, you were amazing out there!" Jay was sweating like crazy and out of breath.

"T-thanks!" Was all he could he manage at the moment. Following his first music video, the album he had just released had grown in popularity. It was insane! His album had hit the thirty million mark for it's sales, and his songs were pretty high in the charts. Every radio station as far as he knew were playing his songs. They were played in malls, skating rinks, you name it! His album was currently the second best seller to _Thriller!_

Jay had lots of plans currently. Tomorrow Jay and a choreographer he had met would be doing rehearsals for his next video. It seemed that Jay's wish was now being granted….


	3. Chapter 3

_Jay's POV_

September 2nd, 1986

The phone rang at exactly 8pm. Sixteen year old Jay would never be the same after this call. When it happened, Jay was hanging out with Robert at his Condo. They were in the middle of watching _A Nightmare On Elm Street_ when the phone rang. The ring made Robert jump out of his skin.

"I got it." He answered the phone. "Robert Grylls speaking."

Jay had decided to use the restroom while Robert spoke. Jay was examining his Jheri curl in the mirror when Robert called out to him. He was worried when he saw Robert's facial expression. His eyes were wide, all the color had drained from his face. "Its for you…" Was all he said. Jay took the phone hesitantly, and put it to his ear. "H-hello?" "Hello, is this J.C?"

A soft voice asked him. "Um… yes…. who is this?"

"Michael." The soft voice simply said. "Michael who?"

"Michael Jackson." Jay suddenly got upset. "Okay, who is this! Really? Is this some kinda prank call! Joe is this you?" The voice on the other end began to giggle, and then burst out laughing hysterically. This was getting weird. Joe's laugh did NOT sound like that. And now that he thought about it… Joe's voice was tad deeper than the voice on the phone. It couldn't possibly be... "Well, if you're the real Michael Jackson, you need to prove it.

Meet me at this address." Jay proceeded to give "Michael" Robert's address. When he ended the call, Jay sat down on the sofa. "He said he'll be here in half and hour." Robert only nodded. And so they waited, and waited. Then they heard a knock on the door. Jay rushed to it, and put a shaking hand on the doorknob. He slowly turned it, and pulled it open. Behind the door… was a pizza delivery boy!? "Um…. you ordered a large pepperoni sir?"

Robert ran up to the guy and paid for the pizza. "Almost forgot I ordered this. Well, that was anticlimactic. Jay had just took a large bite out of a piece when their was another knock on the door. "You order strippers too or something?" Robert burst out laughing. Jay strode over to the door, and opened it. The guy behind the door was not what he expected. He wore a large trench coat, with a fedora, aviators and scarves around his face.

"uh… who are you?" "Its me! Michael! I had to wear a disguise to avoid attention!" Let him in." Robert called from the living room." He let the man enter, and he entered the living room. He removed his disguise to reveal his true identity. It was really him! Michael Jackson! He looked a bit… different though. His face was a bit different, indicating that he'd had a recent plastic surgery. He looked good, just a bit different. His nose was different too, but Jay wasn't surprised. The news said that'd he fallen off stage and broke his nose a while ago. But Jay didn't care. Michael was here, and Jay was in shock. The first thing Jay did,(and he couldn't help it) was to touch his face.

"Are you real? Is this a dream?" Michael giggled. "Nope! I'm really here!"

Jay went dead silent. And then wrapped him into a bear hug. Without even realizing it, he was crying. He was feeling several emotions at once. They all just appeared out of thin air. Shock, nervousness, absolute glee, and more that he couldn't even name at the moment. "I'm sorry man, I just… I just love you so much!" *Squeezes harder.* "I love you too, but you're crushing me. Um… you're still crushing me." Robert stood up and came over.

"Don't worry, I got this." He proceeded to gently pry Jay's hands off of Michael. When finally separated, Jay calmed himself down.

Michael started first. "So I've been watching your short films, and I saw a few of your live performances, and I loved all of it! You have a god given talent. "Thank you!" Jay said. "I wanted to make you an offer. I'm working with George Lucas to make a short film called _Captain EO._ I was wondering you'd be interested. Jay didn't think twice. "Yes! I'd love to help you make this film! _And with that, the decision was made._

September 9th, 1986

 _Jay's POV_

Jay was on the set of Captain EO, in his full costume, dancing to the song " _We are here to change the world,_ " Michael wrote for the film.

" _We are on a mission_

 _In the everlasting light that shines_

 _A revelation_

 _Of the truth in chapters of our minds_

 _So long, bad times_

 _We are going to shake it up and break it up_

 _We are sharing a light brighter than the sun_

 _Hello, good times_

 _We are here to simulate, eliminate_

 _And congregate, illuminate…"_

Michael sang. When that part of the song was over, it was time to film the ending. A small dance sequence where the camera focuses on Captain EO and his sidekick (Starring Jay).

The final scene was shot of Michael singing _Another Part Of Me_.

" _We're sending out_

 _A major love_

 _And this is our_

 _Message to you_

 _(Message to you)_

 _The planets are linin' up_

 _We're bringin' brighter days_

 _They're all in line_

 _Waiting for you_

 _Can't you see?_

 _You're just another part of me!_

"And scene!" The director yelled happily. The film was finally done. Jay sat down in a chair and slumped down in it. He wiped the sweat off of his forehead. He needed to unwind for a bit. It was then that he spotted Michael walking over to him with a huge smile on his face. "So how do you feel about all this?" He asked. Jay perked up. "This was an amazing experience! I think audiences are gonna love this film!"

It was then that Jay became aware of all of the flashing lights around the two of them. Jay noticed that there were tons of people (Both photographers and workers from the set) taking photos of the two of the two of them. It was then that he came to a sudden realization.

He was a new artist casually chatting with Michael Jackson.

It was also then, Jay remembered a question that he absolutely needed to ask Michael. "Hey there's something I've actually been meaning to ask you."

"What is it? Feel free to ask me anything." He Michael said.

"So here's the thing, I'm afraid that'd you say no. Because I don't want to waste your time or interfere with your process-" Jay didn't finish because Michael had cut him off. "Listen, don't worry about that, you're not interfering with anything. Ask me anything."

Jay took a breath. "There is so much I want to learn from you, so I wanted to know if you could... Mentor me?"

Michael stood there for a second, not speaking, then he spoke. "That sounds great! Of course!"

Jay extended his fist, and Michael looked confused.

"Um... You're supposed to pound my fist with yours."

Jay said. "Nah... I'll give you a bear hug instead." He said.

"Hey, wait a second what are you- DERP!"

Michael pulled Jay into a bone crushing hug.

"Bro, your crushing me!"

Michael laughed. "Now you see how it feels!"


	4. Chapter 4

_October 7th, 1986_

 _5:49 pm_

 _Jay's POV_

Jay was totally at peace, he danced to the beat of the song playing.

" _Let's dance!_

 _Let's shout!_

 _Shake your body down to the ground!"_

Allowing the music to control him, Jay danced, unaware of the world around him. It was just him, and the music. Suddenly, he wasn't there. He wasn't human. He was a meer puppet, the melody, the beat, all other sounds were the puppetmaster. He loved it. He was dancing to one song after the next. Some songs were by Michael, but Jay was always switching the music. Some songs by Prince, some by James Brown, even more. By the time Jay was done, he looked at a nearby clock. It was 11:45pm. _I was dancing for that long!?_ Jay sat down, sweat running down every inch of his body. He looked around the dance studio. Empty. He was the only one here. And he liked it that way. Jay came here to improve his dancing, to sharpen it. He had a habit of watching others dance, and he would study their every movement. Then he'd interpreted it into into his his style. Taking a glance once more at the clock, he made a decision. _I'm heading home, I could use some sleep._ After putting on his his jacket, he shut off the studio lights, and headed out. As soon as he was outside, he was greeted with a cold gust of wind in his face. As he made his way home, Jay made a silent thank you to Michael for giving him the address of a private studio that was only a few blocks away from Jay's home. When Jay was home, he went straight to his room, showered, and practically collapsed on his bed, falling asleep.

 _October 10th, 1986_

 _5:35pm_

"Happy Sixteenth Bro!" Jay's brother had told him.

Today was going absolutely great. Jay had just returned from a family dinner at a well known restaurant to celebrate.

His brother had actually bought him several pairs of glow in the dark socks. As dumb as it sounds, the socks were pretty amazing. Each pair had a different design, and lit up in different patterns.

Now with all of the excitement dying down, Jay took this as an opportunity to get some song writing done. It was then that the phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Hey James." A familiar voice replied.

"Oh Michael! Hello! Whats up?"

"I wanted to wish you a happy birthday!" "Thank you!"

"Also, I wanted to know if you'd be able to come down to recodlrdibg studio with me, so I can show you a few things."

 _Michael's POV_

 _7:18pm_

"You're doing excellent, but you need to put power into your voice. "

Michael tells Jay through the microphone connected to recording area. Jay was an great singer, but when he listened to him sing, his voice sounded suppressed, as if he was holding back. "When you sing, its that power in your voice that creates the magic." Jay let's out a groan.

"Michael, I'm trying. I'm not sure what's going on with my voice."

Michael brushed a hand through his curly black hair. "Okay... Let's try again." Michael started the music again.

 _"I took my baby to the doctor with a fever_

 _But nothing he found_

 _By the time this hit the street_

 _They said she had a breakdown!_

 _Someone's always trying to start my baby crying_

 _Talking, squealing, lying_

 _Saying you just want to be starting somethin'!"_

Michael cut off the music. He found it!

"Jay, I'm pretty sure I found the issue."

Jay perked up. "What is it?"

"Your voice has gotten deeper. This means that you'll have to exercise your voice, keep practicing to get used to it."

Jay sighed. "Alright, let's try it again.

Three hours. That's how long it took. For three hours Jay was training his voice, trying to "adjust" it. Although Jay was tired. Michael wasn't. He calmly sat in front of the recording room, listening to the recording. "So how is it?" He asked.

Michael gave him a thumbs up. "It sounds amazing! I'm pretty sure that this is perfect pitch!" Jay couldn't breathe. "I can hit high notes, but perfect pitch? Lemme hear." Michael played back the recording. Jay's jaw was to the floor. "No way!"

"Umm... yeah! You did it!" Jay's left the recording room and gave Michael a a high five. With his voice stronger than ever, Any could now achieve much more...

End Of Part 1.

 _Now I know that this chapter is short, but I just want you to know that this is part of my plan. I plan on the next chapter to be quite crazy. Crazy as in, Jay's career is going to shoot off like a rocket. Hope you enjoy- Mr. B_


End file.
